|
|
Fairbanks spread-eagles foes in Tokyo City Team Valor Stables' FAIRBANKS (Giant's Causeway) turned the $107,200 Tokyo City H. (G3) at Santa Anita Park on Saturday into a virtual public workout, taking the lead out of the gate and keeping a secure margin throughout to earn his first stakes win. Piloted by Richard Migliore, the four-year-old colt established splits of :23 1/5, :47, 1:11 and 1:35 1/5 for the opening mile while well clear, eventually completing the 1 1/8 miles over the fast track in a swift 1:47 4/5. The Todd Pletcher charge widened his margin to 6 3/4 lengths at the wire and gave back a generous $10.80, $4.60 and $3.40 at nearly 9-2. Neko Bay (Giant's Causeway) settled in midpack along the rail early and came out in the stretch to earn the place, one length clear of third. The runner-up paid $3 and $2.40 as the 8-5 favorite while completing the $15.10 exacta ($1). Racketeer (Awesome Again) garnered third, good for $2.80 at 7-2, and finished off the $47.90 trifecta ($1) (2-1-6). Preachinatthebar (Silver Charm) was another 2 1/2 lengths back and trailed by Yes He's a Pistol (Yes It's True) and Beneath the Radar (Untuttable). "Going into the race, I felt like the four (horse, Yes He's a Pistol) and the five (horse, Preachinatthebar) would have more speed," Migliore said. "My horse broke cleanly and I liked the way he was doing it. I just decided to go with the flow, and he ran a great race. From the eighth pole to the wire, he did it easily." Fairbanks encountered trouble when stumbling at the start of the San Antonio H. (G2) most recently and wound up sixth, but he made up for that in a big way with his dominant performance here. The colt boasts an 8-4-0-0 lifetime mark with earnings of $147,263. The winner was bred in the Bluegrass State by Kidder, Grigg and J. & J. Mamakos and fetched a bid of $1.85 million at the 2004 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga August Yearling Sale. Produced by the Time for a Change mare Alaska Queen, the bay was preceded in graded glory by his half-brother, 2001 Lexington S. (G2) hero Keats (Hennessy), and also has a two-year-old half-brother named Manassa Mauler (Sky Mesa), as well as an unnamed yearling half-brother by Smarty Jones. Assistant trainer Michael McCarthy did not identify the next target for Fairbanks, but he did mention that the colt would ship to Keeneland on April 10.
 Send this article to a friend
|
|
